Music Review: Applause! No sorry performance for this ‘sorry tale’ of the Bell Witch

The wonders of Tennessee talent were before us again Saturday night (March 9) at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center. Surely, you know by now that Dan Allcott, music director of the Oak Ridge Music Association and conductor of the Oak Ridge Symphony and Chorus, has delivered magnificently on the season’s th...

The wonders of Tennessee talent were before us again Saturday night (March 9) at the Oak Ridge High School Performing Arts Center. Surely, you know by now that Dan Allcott, music director of the Oak Ridge Music Association and conductor of the Oak Ridge Symphony and Chorus, has delivered magnificently on the season’s theme — “Tennessee Sounds Good To Me.” You must know too by now that any program under his illumination is going to be a learning adventure.

Entering the auditorium for the “Spring in the Mountains” concert, we wondered what to make of a concerto for mountain dulcimer and string orchestra. Exiting the auditorium, we were agog at the world-class talent of Nashville composer Conni Ellisor, and the rock-star artistry of Tennessee dulcimer pro Stephen Seifert.

Another discovery for us was the Bell Witch Cantata, a spooky secular cantata scored for orchestra, chorus and soloists by Tennessee native, the late Charles Faulkner Bryan.

Maestro Allcott, ever the grand planner, opened the program with Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major. Schubert was a Romantic “Classicist” rooted in the musical traditions of Haydn and Mozart. Had we not known Schubert is Allcott’s favorite composer, we could have derived that from the poetic performance he drew from the orchestra. Schubert’s style evolved throughout his pathetically short life, but from the beginning, he had a corner on the market for beautiful melodies. Clearly, the players comprehended the spirit of the work and made those melodies sing. We have discovered when Allcott conducts with his easy mastery, the performers play with easy mastery. Therefore, we reap the harvest of fine details with finesse. The listening is blessedly easy. Nice!

Bell Witch Cantata is an arresting piece with many layers of mystery in the orchestration and text. The legend has it that a revengeful witch haunts the Bell family as they try to escape from Tennessee. There is no saving from the dreadful curse, so the instrumentalists had to imitate fear and environmental sounds, as well as sustain an edgy sense of doom, all of which they did with aplomb. Meanwhile the large Oak Ridge Chorus and guest soloists from Tennessee Tech sang the narration. Thanks, ORCMA, for the helpful printouts. Jesse Nance’s lovely alto voice set a delicious tone of disquiet when she began the “sorry tale.” Joining her in spreading the story were Lindsay Slaughter, Kevin Salter, Josh Voiles, Jake Simko and Dave Dunkirk, all with compelling voices. The full Chorus was forceful, demonic, and spooked on cue. Applaud! Bryan’s music is easier to feel than to explain. There is much to process, but its staying power is questionable. But aren’t we glad we heard it?

It is difficult to say enough good about Conni Ellisor’s Blackberry Winter, a concerto for dulcimer and strings, or Stephen Seifert’s mind-blowing performance on the dulcimer. In the classical tradition, Ellisor “utilizes folk and folk-like melodies that are true to the nature and heritage of the dulcimer.” With Baroque charm, romantic lyricism, classical form and good sense, she has created an original — a real winner. The maestro and the string players knew it and played accordingly. Have the strings ever sounded so balanced and cohesive? Ellisor’s Blackberry Winter with its own melodic beauty deserves to be on the same program with Schubert.

Page 2 of 2 - Playing on a lap dulcimer and a small table dulcimer, Stephen Seifert wrought sounds that we have never before heard from a dulcimer, and he loved every minute of it. The audience loved him back, along with his incredible skill. He made us sit up with all ears as he caressed, plucked and slapped those strings. The soulful artistry that Seifert and Ellisor projected is to be applauded. Seifert’s meticulous tuning and then sustaining of notes by pulling a bow across the small dulcimer were as fascinating to watch as to hear, and his unison duet with concertmaster Karen Kartal was irresistible. An encore was a must and a hit. The standing ovation started mentally long before it went to our feet.

Edgar Whitney opined that “music is playing your own tune while keeping time with the rest of the band.” Isn’t that what Maestro Allcott does when he dares to include music beyond the standard orchestra repertoire? We like!